Kuwait, Oct. 13 (Reuters): Kuwait’s cabinet has approved allowing women to stand for office and vote in municipal council elections, a move observers hail as a first step towards granting women greater political rights.

Kuwaiti newspapers said the bill was discussed yesterday, but it still needs approval from the all-male Gulf Arab state’s powerful parliament, which in the past has blocked government proposals to grant women suffrage.

“I expect the draft law to be sent to parliament in the coming week,” Islamist lawmaker Walid Tabtabai said.